Reviews by AleWatcher:

Light fruity esters and a hint of bubblegum mingle their way into the pack while a mild biscuity malt note provides some balance. No hop presence to be discerned in the nose as the yeast has stolen the ball and ran with it. The body is a hazy, cheerful, happy little golden color, as though Bob Ross was making a color to use for "happy little apricots basking in the afternoon sun." Small white head settled prematurely to a collar of soapy suds and left only the ittiest of bittiest lace rings. The flavor is pretty much what the nose had me expecting, but adds in a pithy grapefruit and a little citrusy bitterness. The peppercorns are there and surprisingly well-integrated into the overall profile. Feels medium-full and oily. This is a touch undercarbonated for the style.

Overall-- two breweries I like got together to brew a beer... It came out pretty nice, though for my money, I'd have wished for them to make an American Pale Ale instead!

More User Reviews:

Cloudy, hazed dark orange with an inch-high off-white head that sticks around for quite some time. This leaves the glass covered in webbed lacing. This beer looks somewhat heavy and thick as I agitate it in the glass.

Very floral and citrus-forward aroma, with some mild hay and grass character. There's a distinct Nelson hop presence, though it's mild. There's some earth and a hint of grapefruit.

The flavor is nice, with lots floral and citrus character pushing it's way forward first, with earth, hay and grass, and a very slight hint of Brett funk, and pepper. I was hoping for more Brett.

Full bodied with moderate carbonation. I think this is where the beer suffers. It seems a bit heavy and tough to drink in large quantities.

Interesting, floral, and citrus-forward Belgian, though I couldn't drink a lot of this due to it's significant heft.

Belgian Pale Ale with no bottle date which is a little scary but ehammond1 picked it up from the brewery and it was just released so I wasn't too worried.

Pours a very nice, bright, hazy orange with 2 fingers of very tight white head that forms a thick cap on top of the beer.

Smell is pungent even while pouring, lots of bright acidic fruits, Peaches, grapefruit, lemon, with just a touch of piney hops. Just a touch of spice, could be the hops, could be the pink peppercorns the bottle lists. Some bready malts in the background (reminiscent of Fat Tire as this is a New Belgium collab). As it warms up slightly that spice comes out a bit more and definitely asserts itself as pink peppercorns

Taste is equally strong, perfectly balanced and complex. A fair amount of bitterness which cleanses the palate to make room for all of the hoppy flavors. I get a bit of a vegetal aftertaste that is pleasant and holds the flavors of the beer in my mouth.

Really smooth, creamy mouthfeel, just enough body to be full bodied but light enough to keep me wanting more.

Overall if you are a fan of IPA's and have an adventurous palate I definitely recommend seeking this one out. It satisfies the hop forward IPA's that I know and love from Alpine and adds to that a (New) Belgian spin. Probably my favorite beer from Alpine so far.

A: Slightly hazy orange color with a two finger white foamy cap on top. Great retention with thick lacing all around.

S: Didn't know exactly what to expect, but I like the aroma quite a bit. Fresh grapefruit, grassy hops, some mint and basil almost as well. Right at the end there is a little green melon too. The melon aroma intensifies as it warms.

T: Unfortunately, the aroma does not quite translate to the flavor profile. Some grassy/herbal hops, with hints of the mint and basil, but there isn't any of the strong melon flavor from the aroma that I was looking forward to.

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Slightly dry finish.

O: The aroma is amazing, but the flavor profile didn't quite live up to it. Still a pretty interesting beer that gets a bump up for being a little outside the box.

Poured a 16 oz bottle into my tulip. Really great smoggy sunset orange color, the head is an inch and dissipates rather quickly but sticks to my bowl leaving intricate weaves of lacing as I drink it down. The nose is amazing, though we know it's dry hopped with pink peppercorns I am just amazed from my initial whiff. It's like I'm an inch away from my pepper grinder ! It's not unpleasant at all and with the orange and grapefruit sneaking a peak it's a very appealing scent. What follows though is what blew me out of the water. A massive hit of super ripe red grapefruit, the tell tale signs of the Nelson Sauvin hop with the grapey white wine undertones, tangerine, bitter lemon rind all enrobed with the essence of pink peppercorns, it's wonderfully weird, it should not make sense, and it just shouldn't taste so deliciously amazing....but it does ! It just screams to be quaffed, there is zero detection of 7.3 abv so this could get you in trouble really fast because it reads as a session beer. As if I need to say it again, but kudos to Pat and his team and the folks at NB for creating onebof the huge surprises of the year with this stunner.

A: Mud-orange in appearance, opaque, the pour forms a sudsy, one-inch head that recedes fairly reluctantly.

S: Earthy, grainy malts and orange zest make up the bouquet. Touch of herbs in the background, some bay leaves and sage. Surprisingly little esters given the style, but the brew has a fresh, clean bouquet.

T: Much more layered than the nose, the flavors start with the orange zest and a general taste of citrus. Phenolic tones follow, combined with an array of spice and herb notes, peppercorn and sage essence prominent (pink peppercorns were added to the brew). Hops add a floral aspect that kicks in toward the finish, leaving a clean and zesty aftertaste.

Gouden Vallei is an unexpected beer, more New Belgium than Alpine, and definitely not a traditional Belgian pale. But it works, and quaffs pretty easily. After finishing the review and thinking about the brew's subtleties I actually enjoyed it more.

App- Looks a lot like a pale with morecolor blending. Thicker orb of Orange in center with yellow peachy outside. Nice 1-1/2 finger head. Small cling

Smell- Had a ton of aromatics behind it but not feeling it. A thicker nose of malts with a bit of thick fruit and only trace amounts of the peppercorns.

Taste- Way more NB than Alpine. It uses that CO yeasty flavor well with a thick malt backbone and maybe a touch of bitter. The peppercorns add a nice depth of flavor and do a nice job of semi-keeping this on track

T: Get a bit of that gin flavor (pink peppercorns) and a nice dose of mango sweetness. A touch of piny hops and then some super smooth caramel malts round it out. Not getting a ton of the "Belgian" here, but it's pretty tasty.

T: The hoppiness is very mild in the flavor. Faint tropical notes blend with grass, earth, and a dominating pink peppercorn presence. I detect a little orange, as well a hint of leather. The dry finish leaves pink peppercorn lingering on the palate.

M: Medium in body with medium carbonation.

Overall: The pink peppercorn struck me as the most unique and memorable aspect of this beer. Not really like anything else I've had from Alpine. Definitely worth a try.